Charlestown Democratic Town Committee condemns recent state legislation
By Will Collette
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| Governor Chafee at last year's Economic Development forum at the General Stanton Inn in Charlestown |
At its June 10th meeting, the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee decided to formally ask Governor Lincoln Chafee, a newly minted "D," to veto two pieces of pro-business land use legislation that are deeply unpopular in Charlestown and many other rural and suburban Rhode Island municipalities.
Commonly called the "Slopes" and the "Setback" bills, these bills share the common theme of restricting the authority of local government to regulate land uses to fit special local environmental conditions.
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| The Governor with Reps. Larry Valencia and Donna Walsh during his tour of Charlestown's historic Cross Mills village |
The CDTC letter reminds the Governor that Charlestown was one of the few towns in South County to vote for him in the four-way 2010 Governor's race, and that his success in Charlestown was largely due to his environmental record.
The Committee also noted that Governor Chafee has visited Charlestown often since getting elected and undoubtedly has a grasp of the complex ecosystem Charlestown has.
Finally, the Committee noted that while it's great to want to help Rhode Island's struggling construction industry, that sacrificing tourism, agriculture, fishing and aquaculture is not "a good trade-off."
To read the
full text of the CDTC letter to the Governor, click here.